Share story

“Off-peak” is one season you won’t find on the calendar at Whistler. The resort town destination boasts year-round adventures, including skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding, biking and golfing. And this fall, there’s one more activity to add to your itinerary: arts and culture.

Whistler’s Fall for Arts 2016 celebration features plenty of cultural attractions and events to keep you busy. A full schedule can be found at whistler.com/arts, but here’s a snapshot of what awaits you:

Treat your taste buds to a trip through Whistler at this celebration of food and drink, which showcases the genius of local, regional and global culinary talents. The festival includes workshops, seminars, ticketed parties and tastings.

The Audain Art Museum is Whistler’s newest kid on the cultural block, having just opened this past spring. Its permanent exhibition includes a collection of 19th-century Northwest masks, as well as works from iconic Canadian artists Emily Carr and Edward J. Hughes.

Time is running out to see the exhibit “Faces and Places: Masterworks from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery,” which closes October 10. It includes artwork by Salvador Dali, Lucian Freud, John Singer Sargent and many others. On October 21, the exhibit “From Geisha to Diva – The Kimono of Ichimaru” opens and will showcase kimonos and personal objects belonging to one of Japan’s most famous geishas, Ichimaru.

Devoted to the history and culture of the two First Nations communities that lived in the Whistler area, Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre offers visitors an interactive cultural experience through exhibits and demonstrations. Try your hand at native crafts, browse the exhibits of the archival museum and contemporary gallery, take a self-guided seasonal forest walk, or watch a film about the local First Nations. After working up an appetite, grab a bite to eat at the Thunderbird Café, which features a menu inspired by traditional First Nations and made from locally sourced ingredients when possible. And don’t forget to stop off at the gift shop, featuring unique, handcrafted items, such as art, clothing, jewelry and more.

This award-winning national historic site promotes mining and environmental sustainability awareness through educational programs, engaging exhibits and historic stories about the Britannia community. Take an underground train tour of an authentic mining tunnel, or explore the Historic Mill Building – one of the last remaining gravity-fed concentrator mills in North America. Check out mining relics in the Machine Shop, or try your hand at panning for gold. Additional attractions include a visitor center – with displays, mineral gallery, theater and gift shop – and the A-Z Administration Building, showcasing historical artifacts of the Britannia Beach community.

This park features a typical mid-20th century railway station and old-style town center with heritage displays and more than 90 pieces of railway cars and artifacts. Historic exhibits include Brightbill House, a blacksmith forge, a wash house, vintage printing press, and the world-famous Royal Hudson steam train. Events include Thomas the Tank Engine in the summer and Polar Express in the winter, when little ones can climb aboard for a trip to the “North Pole” and visit with Santa.

Open through November 19, the Pemberton Museum offers a glimpse in the pioneer life of Pemberton through its more than 2,000 artifacts, photographs and other materials. The museum offers activities and tour guides for groups of all ages, and hosts events, such as “Halloween Fun at the Museum.” Held this year on October 29, the event will feature a costume contest, scavenger hunt, cocoa and hotdogs.

Discover fall in Whistler. We’re marching toward winter, and Whistler is getting more colorful each day. Visit during autumn to discover the unique charm of the season, with sales, new trails, and festivals of food, drink, film and words.